MORE than 150 protesters have called for a “people’s arms embargo” on Israel, as they once again bring one of the world’s biggest arms manufacturer’s Edinburgh plant to a standstill.

Waving the flag of Palestine and linking arms at the factory gates, campaigners braved the sub-zero temperatures of a Scottish winter to blockade the Leonardo UK site from 5am on Wednesday morning as they demanded the company sever ties with Israel.

The company paid £400 million in dividends to its shareholders last year and raked-in over £1.2 billion in profit over the last two years from it activities, which include manufacturing laser targeting technology for the F-35 jets being used to devastating effect by Israeli forces laying waste to Gaza and slaughtering more than 42,000 people in the process.